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August 14, 2011

boxes.

i don’t think you are ever prepared for all of the emotions surrounding a move.

it seems they come unannounced, obtrusive and inappropriate at times.

this past friday morning, i loaded up the babies and we flew to Midland for the weekend, while the packers came and put everything we own in boxes.

but at 7am when i left, the house was exactly as it always is — i might as well have only been going to the grocery store for some more milk.

even though i KNEW the house was all packed, husband and i were in mid conversation when i came through the door tonight – the same door i’ve dragged sleeping and crying and laughing babies through hundreds of times . . . only to find this:

boxes4boxes 1boxes 2

it took my breath away and i suddenly burst into tears for the first time in a few weeks regarding the move.

there have been times it would have been more appropriate to cry — for example, at our little goodbye shindig where we clung tightly to our dear friends and promised it wasn’t “goodbye” it was only a “see you later!”. after all, we are only going 4 hours away . . .

but no, i didn’t shed a tear. and it wasn’t because it wasn’t sad, because it was. the tears just didn’t come.

then there were other times, where i felt like i was cheating on my current life to even feel a break a smile about the possibilities that await us on the other end of all the boxes . . . because we are aren’t running from anything here. we are simply moving forward.

anyway. it’s midnight, and dark, and the house feels a little stuffy from being shut up all weekend. and there are boxes covering every floor, and frankly, i can’t even think about around now.

but tomorrow is a new day, and it will bring sunshine. and sweat. and lots of “ohhhh, and we can’t forget to do such and such before we get on the road!”

and we’ll greet the loading truck with starbucks and smile at the adventure that lies just a few miles down 45 . . .

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August 1, 2011

in case you haven’t heard . . .

we are moving to Houston!  and soon!  here are the details . . .

mays-move-to-H-town

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March 2, 2011

trying it on.

several years ago, my sweet friend robyn taught me how to “Try On” emotions.

sometimes it’s hard to truly identify exactly what you are feeling, so you sort of pretend you are mad (for example) for an hour/day, whatever you need.  if it feels good, then hooray! you have identified your feeling!  if it doesn’t feel right, you can try on another emotion. most of the time, i realize, hey! i’m not mad at all, i’m actually feeling a bit sad . . .

in an effort to sort of clear through some mind clutter about the work/mama balance, this past week i allowed myself to “try on” Being A Mama.  i removed any guilt that i should be working on client projects, and hardly sat in front of my computer . . . and honestly, i was scared to death what might happen.

what if i HATE not working??  what if i’m a terrible mom 24/7??  what if i need to start drinking wine at 4pm because the kids have run me ragged?

the most incredible thing happened:  I Loved Every Second of It.

here are a few highlights of the week in mommyland:

i dusted off my REAL camera (remember the days of non-iphone pics!?) and had a glorious time taking candid pictures of the kids outside . . .

my creative energy  somehow redirected itself into Jackson’s 2 year party.  the “casual park afternoon party” took on a whole new level when i had time and creative brainpower to think about it.  this is where my need for problem solving and graphic design skills come in handy . . . i started rummaging around my craft baskets for free little touches that i could add to the party to bring it to life.  {i have a few posts about this coming up — one about the people who came and then another on the fun last minute details, so stay tuned}

we had a blast all week.  we crafted. we wrestled. we swung. we walked long walks.  we sat in the sunlight patches in our backyard for no reason.  we put away clothes that were too small.

all in all, it was glorious.

and don’t worry, clients, i haven’t forgotten about you.

photo-65photo-66

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February 17, 2011

something’s gotta give.

i wish i could do it All.  seriously, i have the motivation AND the energy . . . but darn it, there are only 24 hours in the day.

i attended a Polish luncheon yesterday, and Bill Hendricks spoke on Giftedness and it was an extremely powerful and encouraging message.

basically, he uses the word Giftedness to describe the inborn core strengths and natural motivation you instinctively use to do things that are satisfying and productive. Not just what you can do, but what you were born to do, enjoy doing, and do very well.

he had us rank our job satisfaction on a scale of 1-5 (1 means you hate your life every day in your current job, and 5 means you think you have the greatest job in the world).

i literally had to hold back the tears during the talk — because i’m a 5.  a legit, bonafide Five.  I absolutely LOVE my job (jobs).  Love. Love. Love.  most days i think i’m the luckiest gal in the whole world that i can dream and design and by some miracle, people pay for these services and products.

BUT, this comes with a difficult challenge:  i LOVE being a mom too.  i’m crazy in love with my kiddos, and i don’t want to miss a blink.

for the past two years i’ve been in Limbo.  limbo of being pregnant/nursing and raising these little babes, WHILE trying to maintain and keep up client relationships, gain new business, and altogether grow both Mica May Design and May Books.

the TRUTH is that i’m in way over my head.  the TRUTH is that i’m conflicted every day about wanting to spend time with my kids and wanting to work.  the TRUTH is that i’m a better woman, wife, and mom when i DO work!  the TRUTH is that there is not a perfect system for me as a “full time work at home mom” . . . and the logistics are killing me.

this year is all about being intentional (with my time/relationships/spending habits), and i think that as much as this artist bucks The System, i truly do need it.

i have had to teach myself the value of structure – scheduling my weeks, our meals, our yearly trips, etc.

but i have found that there is FREEDOM within the bounds of structure!  i just need to remind myself of these every day — because my mind doesn’t work in linear boxes.  my mind is a crazy place of designs and hopes and dreams and plans yet to be set . . . and i forget that a structure can be my friend in the midst of the craziness.

right now, my day to day life is a little tricky. madelyn needs more and more attention and work is at all time high.  until now, i’ve been able to sneak work into the nooks and crannys of my day (while she naps, plays in her excersaucer, on tuesdays when she is a MDO, and in the evenings when they are in bed). in August, she will join her brother at RISE 2-3 times a week, which will be a GREAT solution for both of us (she will love all the stimulation and the learning!) and i’ll have a quiet house i can full devote to work three days a week.

until then, i’m looking for a solution for me and my Madi.  i think i’m in denial that i need help more days a week than i’d like to admit.  with the NSS looming and lots of new design projects, i think scheduling out exact work hours and hiring some extra help is inevitable.

while i’d love to cook gourmet meals, grow veggies in our backyard, make all their photo albums of the past two years, go to yoga every morning . . . this just isn’t the season for those things.  my priorities are my hubby, my babies, and my companies.

yes, we’ll eat, but it might be an egg sandwich and i’m just perfectly fine with that!

because, something’s gotta give.

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January 12, 2011

6th grade wisdom.

apparently, one day after school when i was in junior high, i told Mom,

“Hey, guess what?! I know what I love. Groups, responsibility and plans.”

hmmmmmmm.  pretty weird for a 6th grader.

what i’ve come to realize after 6 years of marriage, several years owning 2 businesses, and now having 2 kids: there is a LOT to plan and manage.  unfort. this is NOT the new news.

the realization is this:  i LOVE plans.  Love Them.  the anticipation of thinking about something before it happens is downright M-A-G-I-C-A-L for me.

when the days are long and the months are short (read: baby/toddler stage of life), it’s just a little bit of daily bliss to think about “going to Napa with the hubby in May” to give me a little pick me up during the daily grind.

i feel like the past few years have been all about survival.  keeping businesses afloat, building a house in 16 weeks, pregnant/nursing round the clock for essentially 2 years . . .

so to kick off the NEW year, husband and i saw down a did a little dreamin’.  did a little plannin’.

And I’m Freakin’ Pumped.

here are some highlights i’m especially looking forward to:

Jan – CRAVE Book Launch and Dream Weekend in Nashville!

May Books is one of 150 Dallas entrepreneurs to be featured in the first edition of Crave Dallas!  it’s super exciting — i had a big photo shoot of the studio and everything.  the book launch party is at the end of the month and can’t wait for it!

also, i turn the big 3-0, and i wanted to do something really memorable, so we are heading to Nashville with our besties, the Carrolls, to dream. I’ll be white boarding all about May Books/Mica May Design,and the Husband will be focusing on some exciting new endeavors for his private counseling practice.

Feb – Jackson turns 2!

we’ve decided that we’d like our kids’ birthdays to be all about giving BACK.  Lord knows we don’t need any more toys overtaking our living room.  so to start us off, we are throwing a kid’s book drive!  in lou of a gift, we are asking that the guests bring either a book from their PERSONAL collection (an opportunity for other moms teach their kids about sharing, ha), or they can bring a new book.  i’m giddy over designing the invites and other details, and some of the fun crafts that we’ll do at the party!

May – Anniversary and the National Stationery Show!

first, we will celebrate 6 incredible years of marriage!  {insert fist pumps here}.  one thing we want to make a priority each year is getting away without the kids/work and really have a blast together. i think we are heading to Napa/Sonoma this year!

then, May Books is heading to the National Stationery Show in NYC.  Oh. My. Word. i’m scared out of my mind.  i’m working around the clock to make sure every detail is perfect, we roll out new patterns, and we are ready to handle large orders, should they come our way.

June – Madelyn turns one!

{haven’t quite decided her “give back birthday theme” yet, but stay tuned}

July – Road trippin’ to Memphis!

We hope to visit the Carrolls in their posh new home for the 4th.

August – Midland bound.

Husband’s shares his birthday with his all time hero, his granddad, so they always celebrate together.

December – Christmas in Victoria.

We are heading to Canada to celebrate with Mom in her neck of the woods!

but here’s the deal. the thinking about it ahead of time is what i really love.  seriously.

if on July 2nd, something were to happen and we need to change plans and not head to Memphis for whatever reason, i can roll with it.  i’m not going to freak out about my plan not working.  it’s an opportunity to plan something new!!

so there it is.  a few things throughout the year i can cling to when it’s 4:30 in the afternoon and i’m not quite sure how i’ll make it to 7:30 when the kids are fast asleep in their beds.

now you all think i’m a total pyscho.  but hey, at least i’m flyin’ my flag.

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June 29, 2010

a clean nursery for now . . .

i was going to wait and take pictures of the nursery later {not sure why} but then decided it will probably NEVER be as clean and organized as it is tonight!  i tried to have a little fun with it . . .

nursery 1

we really wanted to keep a guest bed in the room – we absolutely LOVE to host our friends and moms!  SO, we squeezed it all in, and i think it works!  one thing we were worried about is finding room for the huge (and amazingly comfortable glider) we had for Jackson, but it simply wouldn’t fit with any configuration.  i recovered this wing back i got on the side of the road for $5 a few months back (yay!) for our living room, and on a whim, asked husband to drag it in and see if it worked . . . it’s perfect!! it doesn’t glide, but it’s super cozy and will be a great nursing/sleeping chair.

nursery 2

the bedding/bumper for the crib is by Dwell Studio, the charlotte pattern.  i wanted it before i knew jackson was a boy (!) so it’s a design from a few years ago, which is discontinued now.   i was simply in love with the color scheme, and as soon as we knew we were having a girl, i hunted it down (thank you craigslist friend from oklahoma!!) then i called about 40 stores (yes, i know it’s ridiculous) to find those giant storage bins to match . . . one random store had one with an “ugly display” and i said, i’ll take both please!!  i love those bins.

nursery 3

i wanted a little place to put her bows/headbands, etc. where i could easily reach them from her changing table, so i repurposed an old gold frame my dad had given me years ago.  i just painted it the same color as the pink wall (but semi gloss) and then stapled white ribbon across the back of the frame to attach everything on to!

nursery 4

nursery 6

this butterfly mobile above the crib is from pottery barn kids, and when i saw it, i just fell in love with it.  however, the “i can do that” pride came out and instead of buying it, i took a bunch of pictures of it in the store and counted the butterflies, etc. and decided to make my OWN mobile.  but with birds!!  i carefully cut out over 80 white birds (FAIL! they wouldn’t hang right and looked like bats) then i tried using these weird white fake flowers (FAIL! looked cheap and ugly) and after those two failed attempts, i trekked back to PB kids to take another look at how theirs was made and remembered i had a gift card for the exact amount as the mobile . . . so i just broke down and bought it.

nursery 5

then, the next day i was at michaels buying stuff to fix the frame for the bows, and right there at the checkout were these PERFECT little teal paper flowers and i thought, now THOSE would work for the mobile!!  so i bought them and just decided to try one more attempt and see how i liked it.  i simply loved both and decided, what the heck, if it’s a little whimsy with two chandelier mobiles, that’s OK.

anyway, i love being in this room, and it’s purely functional for what we need for the first several months.  there is lots of room to play in jackson’s room next door, so i’m sure that aside from nursing, changing and sleeping, we’ll be hanging out in big brother’s room a lot!!

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January 17, 2010

project mayhem!

other big news for the may nest {other than baby no. 2 coming in july!}, we are building a house!

back in september, we took a look at our short & long term goals and decided that will be staying in dallas for several years and it was time to buy a house.  we began the search and were approached by a dear friend of our to consider building a house instead.

we laughed it off at first — i mean, who builds a house for their first house??  the more we looked at places in the neighborhoods we wanted to live in, the more discouraged we became about being home owners. they were too expensive, in need of too much repair, didn’t have a space for me to have an office, blah blah blah.

then, we stumbled upon a lot in a “transitional” neighborhood that we fell in love with.  we were SO incredibly excited about this idea — because we love getting to know our neighbors and having people near us that aren’t exactly like us.

with a few phone calls, wise council, a lot of number crunching, and some conversations with God, we decided that this was a unique opportunity that had been given to us and wanted to place an offer on the lot.

within a few short weeks, we had closed on our house (!) and the schedule for building a new house in it’s place had been set. it’s been all things “project mayhem” ever since . . .

i had high hopes of blogging all throughout the process, but it’s all just moved too fast for me! {we closed november 1st and we hope to move in the second week of february!}

since it was all going to be demoed anyway, we thought it would be so fun to go in first and have our own demo party. jmay invited a bunch of guys over for poker and cigar smoking (inside!) and a lot of hitting things.

project-mayhem-phase-1

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